PODCAST: Battery tech is coming - but there are challenges

The global maritime industry is undergoing a quiet revolution as battery technology takes hold, and one of the leading voices in this shift is Syb ten Cate Hoedemaker, managing director of the Maritime Battery Forum. He talks to Maritime Journal in the latest ‘Seaworker Chronicles’ podcast.

The association, which has around 90 members ranging from manufacturers and shipyards to shipowners, insurers and recycling companies, has become a central hub for knowledge sharing on battery use, electrification, safety and regulation. Battery adoption in shipping began gaining momentum a decade ago, particularly in Norway, where ferries and offshore supply vessels were early adopters, he says. Today there are around 1,500 battery-powered ships sailing on seas around the globe – although 80% of them are hybrid.

Ferries, with their predictable routes and charging schedules, were the obvious ideal candidates, while hybrid offshore vessels benefited from reduced fuel consumption, lower maintenance costs and increased redundancy. 

Although technically feasible, the transition for vessel types like tugs, container ships and cruise liners is slower. Hoedemaker says the business case remains challenging, especially for smaller vessels that are not yet subject to strict emissions regulations.

Costs, however, are moving in the right direction, he says: in the last 15 years, marine batteries have halved in price, weight and volume every five years, alongside an improvement in energy density. While the NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) lithium-ion chemistry remains dominant, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is emerging as a cheaper, more thermally stable and more ethically sourced alternative.

Hoedemaker accepts that ethical and sustainability questions must be addressed, and the podcast goes into the mining of lithium and cobalt. Indeed, from 2027, the European Union will require a ‘battery passport,’ detailing sourcing, life cycle data and recycled content. Recycling, in fact, is another hurdle, he says.

The podcast also takes a look at the challenges with, or lack of, charging infrastructure in ports – and where all this power is going to come from.